Our latest thought leadership campaigns: Summer 2024

Welcome to this round-up of our latest thought leadership, highlighting cutting-edge examples of intelligent and influential campaigns out in the world making a difference.

In this article we present our most recent work for companies and brands that are leading the way in engaging, enlightening and influencing hard-to-reach audiences.

These latest campaigns shed light on the most important business themes in the world today. Through visionary thinking and new strategies, these timely insights combine intelligent data with sharp editorial and inspiring design to showcase true thought leadership at its best.

Full speed ahead: Building a high-velocity back office
State Street

As servicer to 11% of the world’s assets, State Street sees what others can’t. This four-part article series explores ways institutional investors can enhance their back-office capabilities and operations, by harnessing the power of data and technology, consolidating providers and more.

Institutional investors are being forced to adapt to the complex and challenging financial environment by embracing innovation and staying ahead of the curve. At the same time, they are under constant pressure to reduce costs and streamline operations. This report and these insights aim to relieve the pressure on one of those fronts, meaning investors can focus on staying ahead of the innovation curve.

ACTIVATION: Showcasing State Street’s vibrant new visual brand, the ‘Full speed ahead’ series is a four-part programme of downloadable reports and online articles, featuring sharp, practical advice and actionable takeaways for institutional investors.

LevelBlue Futures Report 2024: Cyber Resilience
AT&T

Exploring the crucial aspects of cyber resilience, AT&T introduces the LevelBlue Futures Report 2024. This comprehensive study examines the vital relationships between cybersecurity barriers and business priorities in today’s dynamic digital environment.

The report addresses the need for business leaders and tech leaders to prioritise cyber resilience, the barriers hindering it, and the challenges impacting cybersecurity. It also highlights operational issues and upcoming factors influencing cyber resilience.

ACTIVATION: Through expert insights and rich case studies, the in-depth report outlines five practical steps for enhancing cyber resilience in a dynamic landscape. The campaign was launched with an in-depth webinar where its Head of Cybersecurity Evangelism, revealed some of the most thought-provoking observations from this industry-standard report.

Data Universe: Exploring Challenges & Opportunities
London Stock Exchange Group

The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), in partnership with FT Longitude, unveils the Data Universe report, which investigates the challenges and opportunities within data management. This thorough report provides deep insights into navigating the complexities of the data landscape.

Key issues addressed include data regulation, the importance of data accuracy, and the strategic use of data analytics. The report emphasises the need for robust data governance frameworks to ensure data integrity and reliability, offering a roadmap for leveraging data to drive innovation and efficiency.

ACTIVATION: This flagship report sits at the centre of LSEG’s thought leadership endeavours. The campaign features a global report, three deep-dive articles exploring big data, AI and legacy tech, as well as a successful series of podcasts featuring industry luminaries such as Birgitte Bryne of Norges Bank and Andrew Chin of AllianceBernstein.

European Payments Report 2024
Intrum

Intrum, in collaboration with FT Longitude, presents the European Payments Report 2024, offering valuable insights into the payment behaviours of European businesses. This report examines trends related to late payments, invoice practices, and overall financial risk.

Based on insights from 9,255 executives across 25 European countries, the 2024 findings reveal that corporate cost-cutting is at a four-year high despite economic optimism. Businesses are losing over a quarter of the working year (73 working days) chasing late payments.

ACTIVATION: Intrum uses a mix of in-depth reports, engaging infographics, concise videos, interactive webinars, informative blog posts, targeted social media campaigns, and direct email newsletters. This multifaceted approach ensures that the insights are accessible and impactful across various platforms, engaging a wide audience of marketers and communications experts. Crucially, our provocative, newsworthy data points continue to secure Intrum extensive media coverage each year and ensure the programme sits at the heart of its thought leadership programme.

A rethink of retirement advice
BNY Mellon

In the face of increasing regulatory pressure and the rise of AI, BNY Mellon explores the evolving landscape of retirement advice. The survey of financial advisers and planners highlights the need for a reassessment of the advice being given and the underlying business models.

With Generation X facing fragmented pension pots and complex requirements, the report emphasises the necessity for nuanced, tech-driven solutions in retirement planning.

ACTIVATION: The campaign uses a variety of content formats to communicate its insights, including articles on various retirement investment topics, video content, data visualisation, and fireside chats with experts discussing different aspects of retirement planning. These formats are designed to be easily downloadable and shareable, helping advisers stay informed and assist their clients effectively.

How logistics could help chemicals companies tackling climate change
Maersk Chemicals

Maersk Chemicals and FT Longitude present a report on the crucial role logistics can play in helping chemical companies combat climate change. The study, based on a survey of 500 chemical companies worldwide, reveals that nearly two-thirds of the industry’s greenhouse gases are scope 3 emissions.

Despite the significant impact of logistics on emissions, only 29% of companies are actively working to reduce them. The report underscores the potential for improvement by shifting to environmentally friendly transportation methods and utilising green warehouse spaces.

ACTIVATION: The insights from this research are available through a comprehensive report, three articles, and video. The campaign includes expert interviews, case studies, and actionable takeaways on leveraging logistics to meet climate goals. For more, listen to the “Beyond the Box” podcast.

Women @ Work 2024
Deloitte

Deloitte’s fourth annual Women @ Work: A Global Outlook report, in collaboration with FT Longitude, delves into the critical workplace and societal factors affecting women’s careers. Based on insights from 5,000 women across 10 countries, the report is the largest of its kind. It seeks to understand their experiences at work and the impact of their personal lives on these experiences.

This prizewinning campaign, built on insights from a survey of 5,000 women across 10 countries, is the largest and most high-profile exploration on the topic to date, calling attention to this critical issue facing women in business today. Deloitte has been shaping the debate on the experiences of women in the workplace.

ACTIVATION: For the fourth year in a row, this campaign garnered significant press attention from tier one media, including CNBC and the World Economic Forum, providing insights for the former’s Women & Wealth series. It was also the top trending topic on LinkedIn for the four weeks after its first release, with the research picked up in a variety of articles and posts from industry leaders.

Powering competitive advantage through payments
Lloyds Bank

Lloyds and FreedomPay explore how modern payments technology can drive business growth and enhance customer relationships in their latest report. This study of 300 UK business leaders emphasises the importance of seamless and secure payment experiences.

Key findings reveal that customers demand flawless payment processes and the ability to pay in their preferred way. Utilising modern payments technologies can improve customer experiences, build stronger relationships, and ensure reliability and security.

ACTIVATION: The campaign, which was launched at the Retail Technology Show 2024 in London, communicates its insights through a broad choice of formats, including detailed reports, web-based articles, case studies, infographics, and videos. These assets aim to provide comprehensive analysis, practical advice, and visual data representations, helping businesses understand and implement effective payment strategies. The campaign also featured widely across trade media, securing an influential share of voice.

2024 Fujitsu SX Survey: Charting a course for change
Fujitsu

Addressing climate change, inequality, and economic uncertainty, Fujitsu, in collaboration with FT Longitude, presents the 2024 Fujitsu SX Survey. This report surveys 600 C-level executives across 15 countries and 11 industries to assess global sustainability progress.

The survey highlights the urgent need for sustainability transformation, with 70% of executives prioritising it. However, only 26% report tangible results. The report identifies “Change Makers,” organisations that are four times more likely to achieve benefits from their sustainability efforts by leveraging data-centric collaboration.

ACTIVATION: A truly end-to-end thought leadership programme driving the new Fujitsu Uvance brand, which featured traditional editorial, video and audio content, a wide-ranging selection of regional reports, as well as sales tools and internal webinars to ensure maximum engagement from the sales team across Fujitsu globally. The programme continues to be Fujitsu’s largest and most successful thought leadership effort.

Taking charge: Gain deeper insight into fleet electrification
Geotab

Geotab’s report, “Taking Charge: On the Road to the EV Future” targets vehicle fleet managers across its key markets and reveals the vast potential for light-duty fleet electrification. Analysing data from over 1.3 million vehicles across seven countries, the report highlights significant opportunities for transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs).

Key findings from the 500-strong survey sample, show that electrification could save 19 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions over the next seven years. In the UK alone, transitioning to EVs could save £7,300 and 17,100 litres of fuel per vehicle, avoiding 39 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

ACTIVATION: The ‘Taking Charge’ campaign employs various content formats to share its insights. Detailed blog posts summarising key findings and provide in-depth reports on topics such as EV potential and fleet electrification, plus practical case studies are also shared to illustrate the benefits and feasibility of transitioning to electric vehicles.

Want to see what else we’ve worked on? View the campaigns from last quarter here.

If you’d like more information on any of the featured campaigns in this article, please get in touch — we’d be delighted to share more details and explore how you can innovate your thought leadership.